Jesus (Palm Sunday)

Matt 21:7-17 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road;
others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

“Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!”
And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”
So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
And He said to them,
“It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’
but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.'”
Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.
But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant
and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise’?” Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

To me one of the most moving times in the Bible is the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on this occasion.

The crowds are welcoming Jesus. They have been hearing of all Jesus has done in Galilee and in Judea and in Jerusalem. The expectancy of the arrival of the Messiah gripped the city. Many hundreds of thousands from Israel and the far reaches of civilization had gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover. Was this the moment Israel had been waiting for?

Yes!

The crowds used the Old Testament term for the Messiah ‘Hosanna’ as an expression of Praise and Worship.

Here came Jesus! Riding on a donkey!

Not the animal of Kings!

The ‘people’ welcomed Jesus but the religious leaders rejected Jesus as Messiah and Savior.
Picture this, the crowds of hundreds of thousands welcoming Jesus.

Jesus comes into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives into the Easter Gate and into the Temple. The roar of the crowd must have been deafening, the excitement beyond words to express and the welcome more than anyone had ever seen.

I know many religious leaders today that are very anti-mass evangelism like to say that Jesus never had huge meetings and that He focused only on the training a few leaders. Well the Gospels do not bear this out.

Often Jesus spoke to huge gatherings of people. I will not take the time to point this out at this time but even on this occasion there had to have been hundreds of thousands of people along those roads and streets waving palm branches shouting and praising Jesus.

Then as the True Messiah comes into the Temple here is what happened:

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.

And He said to them,

“It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’

but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.'”

This was the second time Jesus had done this in the Temple. The first time was at the beginning of His public ministry.

Now it was settled. The religious leaders of the Temple where Jesus had sat as a 12 year old child and discussed with them the Word of God now were indignant and full of rage and anger at this Jesus they knew and had heard many times over the past twenty years or so.

Later we see Jesus back in the Temple and this is what happens.

Matt 21:42-46
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.
“And whoever falls on this stone will be broken;
but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.
But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

The above is one of the most important scriptures in the Bible and to ever come from the mouth of Jesus.

The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.

On this glorious day of welcome by the people of Jesus the religious High Priests and leaders rejected Jesus and He rejected them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem was destined to happen and the date would be in the year 70AD.

God would not forsake His people but now find a new people (the gentiles). The church would come from the believers and followers of Jesus from among the Jews but it would grow and go to all the world through the new people.

Then’¦ the unexpected happened. As the religious leaders rejected Jesus on the day Jesus gave a view of the new to come:

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.

In the place where Jesus had overthrown the tables and drove the corrupt from the Temple Jesus began to heal the sick. The blind could see and the lame walk! The Power of God was being revealed. This was what was supposed to be happening in the Temple. People’s lives changed, eyes opened and the lame rising up to walk and live for Jesus.

But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

The children started crying out, shouting and Praising Jesus! They were making a noise. You can imagine the explosion of noise and shouting as the lame began to walk and the blind began to see and the children began to shout “Hosanna’!

They were indignant

What a horror and shame! The Chief Priest and Scribes of the Temple rejected the God they were supposed to be worshiping and serving.

It is easy to stand condemning the behavior of the Chief Priests and the religious leaders but let me ask you a question pastor or church member.

How would you react in your church if the blind got healed and the lame rose up and started walking and leaping and if the children started running in the church aisles shouting and praising Jesus?

Is there room for Jesus to be Himself in your church or in your life or have you got a system that is more important than the freedom of the Holy Spirit. Are you bound by doctrine and tradition that restricts what the Spirit of God wants to do? Would you limit Jesus to fit your church order?

Is your heart or church open for Jesus to come and do whatever He wants and desires?

and said to Him,

“Do You hear what these are saying?”

And Jesus said to them,

“Yes. Have you never read,

‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise’?”

Oh you may have the best choir in the world and you can pay for the best singers or ministers of music but Jesus said ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise’?”

Are you ready to have Jesus ride into your life, heal you, raise you up and put a shout of praise in your mouth!

If not you may have Jesus walk out and give Himself to some one else that will welcome Him1

Message of Hope! This is real Arthur Blessitt preaching about how God loves us and know our name. It is the message of hope, love and blessings and salvation that he has preached around the world. Hope for the hopeless and good news for the broken and love for all.
DVD - U.S. Format only (NTSC)Message of Hope! This is real Arthur Blessitt preaching about how God loves us and know our name.

This is the most requested message of Arthur Blessitt's life. A real classic from the early 80's. About how to live ones life in the Presence of God. It's about a moment by moment walk with Jesus that is unending. God told Moses "My Presence shall go with you". Jesus now indwells the heart of the born again follower of Jesus.

Powerful message of how to fall into the arms of Jesus when needing salvation or facing difficult times in life. This is one of Arthur's best evangelistic messages. Every person should hear it. Ideal for yourself or your friends.
U.S. Format only (NTSC)Powerful message of how to fall into the arms of Jesus when needing salvation or facing difficult times in life.

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About Arthur

Arthur Blessitt has carried the cross around the world in every nation and is listed in the Guinness World Records for the world’s longest walk over 42,788 miles 68,860 km, in 324 countries, island groups & territories for 51 years.